


The most beautiful of flowers

by IgnoctForeverEtchedInMyHeart



Series: Beautiful flowers - soulmate AU [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Chill XV, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-22
Updated: 2017-11-01
Packaged: 2018-11-03 16:45:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10971294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IgnoctForeverEtchedInMyHeart/pseuds/IgnoctForeverEtchedInMyHeart
Summary: Prompto had always hoped he'd be one of the lucky ones who received a soul mark but given his impending birthday he'd given up hope...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay I've wanted to write a soulmate AU for a while ever since I read an absolutely amazing Gladnis one but I never came up with an idea I wanted to run with until this ^.^ 
> 
> I don't think it's a popular ship but I love them together so I wanted to write it :D
> 
> I hope you enjoy ^.^

“Dude! Over here!” Prompto laughed, as he snapped a few more shots of Noctis, who thankfully had agreed once again to help him out.

“You’ve got a real talent for photography,” Iris giggled from behind Prompto as she watched him work on building up the number of photos in his portfolio. She loved watching him work; he was always sweet and even let her be the subject of his images sometimes. Plus, spending time near Prompto meant that Noctis was probably nearby and by extension, her brother who she saw little of these days. “Oh, that looks great!”

“Thanks, Iris,” Prompto responded with a smile on his face. Photography was his life and it was a difficult career to get into, which in itself brought a lot of stress and disappointment, so whenever he got a compliment in regards to his work, it always cheered him up and helped him keep striving to do what it is that he wanted most. “Say, Iris, what should we get Noct to do next?”

“Oooo I know!” She jumped in excitement and skipped forward towards the prince. “You’ve got to hold this,” she demanded and shoved a moogle plushie into Noctis’ hands. She’d had the adorable toy for a while now and somehow, he’d become her mascot but now, mog was going to help Prompto with his career. A good cause for an adorable moogle, she smiled to herself at the thought.

“Seriously?” Noctis complained and shifted his weight from one leg to the other. “Prom, how many more shots you taking because I’m ready to head back!” He complained, staring down at the toy that had been thrust in his direction by his shields little sister. There really was no saying ‘no’ to Iris Noctis had learnt and if he even attempted to, Gladio would quickly come to her defence. 

“Just a few more!” Prompto responded and began snapping away again, contorting his body to take the most striking of shots. “Can you try and look happy?”

“How’s this?” Noctis teased pulling a silly face with the moogle besides him, he hadn’t meant for Prompto to actually capture it.

“Haha, great!” Prompto laughed, as he moved slightly closure to his best friend, in an attempt to capture the perfect shot.

“Awww Noct, that pose is so adorable!” Iris cooed, looking at the screen on Prompto’s camera. He really was an amazing photographer and seeing him so into the shoot made her smile. His passion always shined through and it made her love his photography even more.

“Hey, I hate to break this up, but I’ve gotta get Noctis back before Iggy discovers that he skipped out on his duties again,” Gladio stated then turned to Iris. “You sure your gonna be okay gettin’ home? I can give you a lift?”

Iris nodded her head with a smile. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine, Gladdy. You just focus on Noctis.”

“Hm…” Gladio grunted, “I’m not happy about this.”

“Don’t worry, big guy,” Prompto chipped in as he set about putting his camera away in its case. “I’ll walk Iris home.”

“See, there you go! I’ll be fine” Iris bounced on the balls of her feet and linked her arm in Prompto’s, sending a smile of thanks up at him.

“Alright…” Gladio reluctantly agreed. This was a better plan than her walking home alone as the sun went down. Anyone could be on the street and that always left him worried about her safety. “Thanks,” he nodded and slapped his hand down on Prompto’s shoulder.

“No problem,” Prompto responded, trying not to react to the pain that now soared down his arm.

Noctis walked over as he removed the chocobo hat from his head and dropped it on top of Prompto’s belongings. From the heat of this sun, his hair stuck to his head but with a quick ruffle, it was passable. Hopefully, Ignis wouldn’t notice that he’d been gone the past few hours. “You coming over tomorrow?” He asked wiping his brow.

“Course dude. You think I’d miss one of your only free days?” Prompto responded, as he slipped out of Iris’ grip and began loading everything into his backpack and swung it onto his back. “I’ll be over at ten.”

“Ugh… that early?” Noctis moaned as they all headed over to the parking lot.

“Ten’s not early,” Iris started, with a skip in her step, “Gladdy’s up every morning before the suns even risen.”

“Save your breath,” Gladio laughed, “Iggy’s been tryin’ to get him up early for years. Nothin’ any of us are going to say will change that.” 

 

\----

“What are you reading?” Prompto asked Iris, peaking over at her magazine as they sat waiting for Gladio to return home. He’d decided to keep her company until Gladio or Clarus got home, seen as Jared was out running errands. 

Iris blushed and immediately covered the page with her body. “Nothing!”

Prompto laughed, not having expected that kind of reaction from the youngest Amicitia. “Fair enough, I won’t ask again.”

Iris sat back up and smoothed the now crumpled pages out. She looked at the text once more, it wasn’t bad, just embarrassing to be caught in a girly daydream. “I was reading about soul marks…” she spoke in a whisper, her face still red.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed about that,” Prompto smiled at Iris’ revelation. 

Soul marks were important to almost everyone, especially during your teenage years and for Prompto, his chance of receiving one seemed to be incredibly slim. While occasionally some people received the much-anticipated marks when they were older, almost everyone who was going to receive one, received it as a teenager.

Iris looked at Prompto and spoke timidly, “do you have a soul mark?”

Prompto stared into the distance for a moment then lowered his head, downcast by the thought. “No… not yet…”

Iris bit her lip, she shouldn’t have asked such a personal question so casually. Actually, she had no idea why the question so easily fell from her mouth when it was well known that discussing soul marks was something that most people didn’t like to engage in. She stood up from her seat and sat beside Prompto taking his hand in both of hers and she conjured the brightest smile she could manage. “Don’t give up hope. Your still only nineteen. You’ve got time,” she beamed, knowing that age was a sensitive topic to everyone when discussing soul marks. 

“Yeah… I guess.” Prompto half-heartedly smiled, he didn’t feel the same way but he knew objecting would be pointless. Iris had always been amazing at helping others and it was one of the things that he really liked about her. Overall, they were quite similar people, the only noticeable difference in their personalities was that she wasn’t riddled with insecurities…

 

\-----

 

**10 months later**

Prompto rolled lazily onto his left side, pulling the duvet snug around him. He had little to do today so enjoying a few extra minutes in bed seemed like a great way to start the day.

With his eyes still closed he scratched at the irritation on his right wrist. “Ow!” He yelped and pulled his hand away immediately as he pushing the duvet away to inspect whatever injury he’d unknowingly caused. He rubbed his eyes as he let out a yawn then focused on his wrist.

He froze.

It wasn’t an injury at all, it was his soul mark. He snapped his hand quickly over the mark, not brave enough to read the name permanently etched on his skin. Whoever it was, they were destined for each other and that thought filled him with both excitement and a ridiculous level of nerves.

Honestly, he had given up hope several years ago that he would ever get a soul mark. Most people seemed to get there’s as a teenager but after celebrating his twentieth birthday a few months ago, Prompto had concluded that the crystal had forgotten him.

He closed his eyes as he thought about the mark on his wrist. Maybe if he just peaked at it, it wouldn’t be so bad? Receiving a soul mark was meant to make you happy, right? So why did he feel so overwhelmingly anxious about the whole ordeal?

“I can do this… it’s just a name… they are my soulmate…” he told himself, trying to talk down his nerves. He took a steadying breath before he lifted his hand off the back of his wrist as he dared to open his eyes and read the beautifully cursive name that now lingered on his skin. A small gasp escaped his lips.

_Iris Amicitia_

“Oh boy, Gladio is going to kill me…” He gulped.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long time coming but here is the next chapter ^.^
> 
> I'm not really into FFXV atm but having played Episode Prompto yesterday I thought I'd try and return to my writing :D

“Dude, you gotta help me!” Prompto pleaded; as he rushed pass Noctis into his apartment.

“What happened?” Noctis groaned sleepily as he closed his front door a little too hard. It had only just gone nine in the morning, so this level of functioning was good in his books.

Prompto tugged on the wristband that he had worn for the first time since high school. He didn’t want to show the name that was hidden beneath it but out of nervousness, he couldn’t help fiddling with it. “I er… I got my…” he swallowed and took a deep breath before continuing in a more level voice, “This morning when I woke up, my wrist was burning…”

“And?” Noctis asked, somewhat impatiently. He was already awake too early and having to take part in a guessing game was the last thing he wanted.

Prompto let out a nervous laugh as they both sat on the sofa in Noctis’ living room. “Well… the burning… turns out it was my soul mark…”

“Your soul mark?” Noctis questioned, as he straightened up on the sofa. “But I thought we weren’t gonna get those…”

“Yeah, I know. Me too, bro… I thought we were gonna be the eternal bachelors of the group. Well, until you find yourself a queen, you know, one day…” Prompto corrected. Their situations were vastly different, but with Noctis’ relaxed approach to dating it was sometimes easy to forget that he needed to produce an heir to the throne at some point.

Noctis scoffed, “that’s a looong way off.” It was a topic he had become fed up with as of late. As a teenager, he had waited for his soul mark to find out who would one day become his queen, as did his father and the council. However, now that he was in his twenties, the chance of receiving a soul mark was so slim that recently, there had been many heated debates about who he should marry. “So, who is it anyway?” He asked, as he gave Prompto a controller and turned on the TV and games console.

Another nervous laugh escaped Prompto’s lips. “Err… well… she’s kinda, you know…”

“She can’t be _that_ bad, right? I mean dad says the crystal _‘always has it’s reasons’_ bla, bla, blah…” Noctis jokily responded, mocking his dad. When he noticed how uneasy his friend looked, he dropped the persona and frowned a little, “She’s not bad, right? I mean, the crystal chose you someone good?”

Prompto waved his hands about, somewhat frantically, the urge to defend his soul mate surprised him. “No dude, she’s awesome. I mean, I totally think she’s great! But it’s just… I don’t think the news of me being _her_ soul mate will be taken well…” His shoulders slumped as he let out a sigh. “I’m just not the sort of material that I think her father or brother want for her… but she’s totally awesome!” He perked up was a smile when he reiterated how he felt about her.

Noctis had to hold back a laugh at Prompto’s sudden mood change at the mention of his newly found soul mate before he back tracked over what his friend had actually just said. “Wait. You already know her family?”

“Yeah…” Prompto responded, as the nervousness set back in.

Noctis frowned. They more or less knew all the same people, just in different capacities. The only people they didn’t each know were who they each had to work with. Noctis had never bothered introducing Prompto to the mostly boring councillors or staff that attended the palace and Prompto had deliberately asked him not to go to his work because he didn’t want special treatment for being friends with the prince. 

Noctis shuffled to face Prompto and thought for a moment over everyone that they both did actually know, that was still a lot of people, even if they never spoke. “Do I know her?”

“Yeah…”

“Do I know her well?”

“Erm… kinda…”

Noctis thought of all the girls that he knew. They had all their old classmates from school, they didn’t share any classes at college so that could be ruled out and there was a few staff at the palace that had several children that he’d grown to know. “Is she older or younger than you?”

“Younger.”

“Well that ruined my guess. I thought it was Luna.” Noctis moaned, disappointed that he’d been wrong.

“Noct, Luna’s dad passed away years ago…” Prompto added. As unlikely as it seemed, he and Luna had become good friends in recent years and he could see why his friend made the mistake but he was going to have to actually tell him if this guessing continued.

“Who do I know that their family wouldn’t like you…” Noctis spoke out loud, as he tried going through everyone he knew again.

“Thanks, dude. You’re really helping!” Prompto moaned, somewhat distressed. He was already worried about Gladio’s and Clarus’ response and his best friend was only making it worse.

“Your gonna have to just tell me.” Noctis said, defeated by not being able to come up with anyone to match the description.

Prompto fiddled with his wristband again as he bit his lip looking down at his wrist.

“Is that where it is?” Noctis asked, with more interest than he’d expected. Then it dawned on him. Whoever’s name was now permanently etched on his best friend’s skin, was Prompto’s soul mate. Prompto would end up marrying her, they’d have kids together, buy a house, probably have their own chocobo… Prompto would have a _life_. A life where Noctis would mean very little to his friend compared to whoever the crystal had deemed Prompto was meant to be with. Suddenly the joke about being eternal bachelors stung. 

“Yeah… it’s quite cute actually. Not too big a mark but I’m gonna need to keep it covered for a while… till she’s old enough to receive her’s.” Prompto responded as an involuntary smile began to light up his face at the thought of his soul mate.

“She’s not even old enough?” Noctis asked no wonder he hadn’t been able to work out who she was. “Prom, how old even is she?”

“Fifteen.”

“Fifteen? At least she’s not too far off receiving her’s... but hey, you’ll still have to wait a few years-” Noctis froze. A girl who he knew kinda well, that was fifteen and her family wouldn’t be too pleased that Prompto was her soul mate. “Iris?”

Prompto nodded, as the nerves set back in. “Now you see why I’m worried.”

“Gladio’s going to hate you.”

“I know.”

“Clarus won’t be that happy either… but he should be easier to win over”

Prompto swallowed, “you think?”

“Yeah. Gladio’s the one that gets ridiculously defensive of Iris. Just treat her nice and he could be won round by the time you two can you know, get married…”

“Wooh dude. I’ve got to propose first!”

“Your gonna propose?” Noctis watched his friend carefully; his earlier vision came to his mind.

“Yeah! I mean, it’s Iris. She’s amazing and she’s my soul mate, dude. The crystal chose me and her to be together for a reason… why wouldn’t I want to marry her?”

“You’ll have to become an Amicitia. There’s no way they’d let her change her name to Argentum…” Noctis said. He knew that was true. After all, the Amicitia’s served the crown and their name was always spoken like a badge of honour. Noctis couldn’t deny that he hoped Prompto having to change his own name would be a bit of a deterrent. Ultimately though, he didn’t mean to hurt his friend, he was just desperate to not be the only one who was alone or stuck with someone for a political marriage where he felt no connection. The jealousy of having to share his best friend didn’t help either.

“So be it. Dude, I’ll look after her. I’m gonna stay by her side, be her friend and then in the future when she’s old enough and receives her mark, I’ll be there for her too. I’m gonna give her everything, Noct…” Prompto said, with absolute belief in his words. Some people laughed at words like destiny and fate but he’d always believed in them and this, Iris being his soul mate felt _right_.

Noctis reluctantly nodded. “When Gladio comes after you, say what you just said… you’ll win him over…” Noctis looked away and silently cursed the crystal that resided in the palace.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I enjoyed writing this so much ^.^
> 
> I honestly love the idea of these two together hehe 
> 
> Enjoy :D

**2 years later**

 

“Prompto! Move, move, move!” Iris laughed, as she tried to steer her chocobo around her friend. Today had been even more fun than she’d imagined. She couldn’t remember when she’d last laughed this much.

Prompto couldn’t help but get swept away by Iris’ happiness and found himself laughing along until she rushed past and his own chocobo started bucking backwards. “Woah! Calm now, boy…” Prompto spoke in a soothing voice, as he stroked the side of his chocobo’s long, feathered neck. Over the past few months, Prompto had grown rather attached to the easily startled chocobo who he’d come to nickname Boko. “There, there,” he began in a barely audible voice, “now let’s catch up with our girls…” 

As Boko picked up speed, Iris and her rather rambunctious chocobo – who she’d insisted were adorable – came back into Prompto’s sight and a smile lit his face once again. They hardly made it far though till Boko lost his nerve and sprinted off course from being startled yet again by the thunderous Gladio and his tank of a chocobo.

“Seriously?!” Prompto moaned, in Gladio’s direction. He would have shown much more frustration at the inconsiderate shield had he not known that the time to grovel for Iris’ hand would arrive in the next few years. Well, he hoped at least.

Today had come about because Iris had said that for her 17th birthday, she wanted to celebrate somewhere other than Insomnia. Her father had taken some convincing to let her leave the capital city but once Gladio had offered to go the day had fallen into place quickly. Not long after that Prompto, had received his invitation and when asked what he thought she’d like, the first thing that had come to mind was the Chocobo racing.

Yesterday had been spent in Lestallum. Iris had spent the majority of the day shopping, and as Gladio had protested about having to be stuck indoors on such a great day, Prompto had volunteered his services as ‘Iris’ official bag carrier’. In Prompto’s eyes, the day had been practically verging on perfect and left him longing for the future even more.

Knowing what was to come was both a curse and a blessing.

He had no idea how long it would be till his soul mate would receive her mark but he knew that when Iris does, they’ll have an amazing connection. Even with the connection currently only being one-sided, he already felt deeply attached to her. She was already the centre of his world and it tormented him having to keep his distance from her, acting as if she was no one other than one of his best friends little sisters. It wasn’t helped that just the mere sight of her always brought a ridiculous, involuntary smile to his face.

Most days he was just glad that Gladio hadn’t caught on yet.

Other days he was simply shocked that Noctis’ shield was so oblivious to the boyish, nervous behaviour that Iris unintentionally drew out of him.

 

\-----

 

Prompto sat on the edge of the safe haven as he let Gladio and Iris have some rare sibling time together. He could hear a mixture Gladio’s baritone laughter and Iris’ beautiful and comforting giggles. There was no way he could intrude when his friends were both so happy, especially since Gladio rarely was granted time away from serving Noctis.

He looked out over the lake, admiring how the stars reflected on the water. In different circumstances, this would have been a romantic way to end the trip. Raising his beloved camera to his eye line, he immortalised the moment. 

Comfortable in his own silence, he let time pass and enjoyed the landscape.

“It’s beautiful out here, isn’t it?”

Prompto gasped as he turned to find Iris standing behind him, also staring out at the lake. He hadn’t heard her approach and her sudden appearance left him feeling unprepared. He swallowed and kept his eyes in her direction but avoided meeting her eyes. “The view is beautiful…” he responded, glad that the night sky hid the blush that had decorated his freckled cheeks.

“Mind if I sit with you?” Iris asked, her voice quiet, with a hint of hopefulness. 

“N-not at all,” Prompto stuttered, as he gestured at the rock beside him. He watched as Iris sat next to him in such a graceful way that only she could pull off. It wasn’t long till he noticed her shiver and without thought, he pulled his jacket off and wrapped it around her shoulders. “That better?” He asked, his head slightly tilted with a smile etched on his face.

“Much better,” Iris giggled, drawing the jacket around her, enjoying the warmth that Prompto had left behind.

Prompto had to tear his eyes away from Iris and looked back out at the calm water before them. Even though there was a comfortable amount of space between them, he was aware that his pulse had quickened from her closeness. “You know, I could get used to this,” he said, knowing that Iris wouldn’t be able to understand the meaning behind his words. He meant it though. He longed for the future, a time when he would be allowed to sit closer to her without needing to worry, a time when he could hold her hand and together they could cuddle and watch the rippling water of the lake together. He swallowed and let out a nervous laugh. It seemed so perfect in his mind but knowing that it was still all so far off left his heart aching.

Iris watched him with a smile, feeling the warmth in her chest that being near Prompto had always brought her. She couldn’t explain it but she always felt most content when in close proximity to him. She followed his gaze and looked out at the equally breathtaking scenery. “I think I could too…” she spoke ever so quietly so that her brother in the tent didn’t overhear. The last thing she wanted was for Gladio to discover why she’d asked Prompto along on the trip and if he did find out, she knew she’d be in for worst teasing of her life so far.

Prompto searched Iris’ face for answers. This was the closest they’d been in the entire time of Prompto’s self-induced separation from her. He hadn’t prepared himself for how beautiful she would look in the moonlight. Prompto glanced over his shoulder to check for any lurking terrifying big brothers then turned back to face Iris and spoke in hushed tones, “We’ll come back here in a few years… I promise…”

Iris felt the familiar feeling rise up in her chest, the feeling that only Prompto had ever made her feel. She looked into his eyes, watching the moon reflect so beautifully upon his pupils. Prompto looked so sincere and she felt her entire body go weak at the sight of him in front of her. “Prompto?” She whispered as she tried to keep her breathing steady. She had so many questions she wanted to ask him but all she had managed to say had been his name.

Prompto could hear that there was more to what she had said. It was everything he wanted it to be hearing Iris speak his name, in a way that was just for him. Although it never mattered what Iris said because her voice always sounded majestic since he’d received his soul mark two years prior. 

Two years of longing.

Two years of wishing they were closer in age so that he didn’t have to wait for her to discover that he was the one for her.

Two incredibly draw out years of dreaming what the future will be like. 

However, one thing that now was very clear to him, she was affected by his presence, just as much as he was by hers…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if your liking this fic so far.
> 
> I'm a bit nervous about it because I know it's not a popular ship...
> 
> Sometimes I feel alone in loving the idea of these two together :(


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long since I updated >.<
> 
> I love this pairing so much and I think about these adorable chocobo's loads ^.^
> 
> I hope you enjoy :D

**3 Months later**

 

Ever since the camping trip for Iris’ 17th birthday, Prompto and Iris’ relationship had changed and it had made it become even more difficult for Prompto to maintain an acceptable friend distance. If they were in the same room, they both shared wonderfully fleeting glances before they resumed the casual display that needed to be presented to the others.  
On more than one occasion Prompto had gravitated towards Iris and quickly had to correct himself before anyone noticed. Without a doubt, Iris had become the centre of his world and he existed purely for her.

But what still amazed him most was that only Noctis knew of his and Iris’ bond. Although, Prompto was becoming increasingly suspicious that Ignis knew more than he let on. That had become especially apparent after the last group encounter, where Prompto had slipped up and maintained eye contact with his soul mate for a little _too_ long. When he finally managed to turn away aware of what had happened, with a familiar blush on his face, he saw Ignis with an ever so slight smirk.

This was difficult. Far more difficult than he’d ever imagined.

Waiting for someone who was right in front of you was difficult. The last thing he wanted was for Iris to discover her connection to him before she received her mark. He wanted her to have the excitement of discovering her soul mark and the feeling of _yearning_ to be with him. 

At least, he hoped that was how she would react…

Sometimes, however, Prompto wondered if Iris already knew. He questioned often if she’d already received her mark because she always seemed to know when Prompto’s eyes were on her and they both always seemed to look away with a shy blush.

Either way, until Iris made the first move, Prompto would _try_ to keep some distance between them.

 

\-----

 

“Dude, I’m stuffed,” Prompto moaned, as he flopped back in his chair and sloppily turned his head to look at his best friend. As jealous as he was that Noctis got to eat Ignis’ cooking every day, he himself wouldn’t be able to because it was so difficult to resist the deliciousness that always enticed him to eat far more than he needed.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Ignis said as he retrieved Prompto’s empty plate and took it to the kitchen, whilst he kept a close on Noctis, watching the prince push the food around his plate with little interest. “Noct, is everything alright with your food? You’re normally rather fond of my barramundi dish.” He set the plates into the sink and turned to the younger man, “I could prepare you something else if you wish?”

“Huh?” Noctis blinked and turned to face Ignis. He had been so consumed by his own thoughts that he hadn’t even noticed what had gone off around him. “What did you say?”

Ignis’ eyebrows pulled together as he stepped from the kitchen and approached the prince, inspecting him for any signs of illness. He pulled out a chair and sat across from Noctis. “I asked if your food was to your liking?”

“Oh… I’m just not hungry… I’m just gonna go to bed…” Noctis dismissed the conversation and without looking back at either of his friends, he made his way to his bedroom with his shoulders hung and his low.

Prompto waited for Noctis’ bedroom door to click before he looked to Ignis. “He didn’t seem right…”

“Yes. I rather fear something is weighing on his mind,” Ignis responded, as he still looked in Noctis’ direction. He had been aware the whole day of course, that the prince hadn’t been acting like his usual self, which was exactly why Ignis had chosen barramundi for this evenings dinner. 

Prompto awkwardly nodded in agreement. “He didn’t even wanna play King’s Knight with me earlier…” he said in a quiet, hesitant voice.

Ignis mulled over the information and hummed as he thought over what Prompto had said. It confirmed that something was indeed troubling the younger man and in turn it added to his own worries.

 

\-----

 

**One year later**

“So…” Iris smiled, as she bounced on the balls of her feet, “Gladdy told me that you’re going to be the featured photographer at this year’s exhibition…” 

She felt extra cute today, in her new dress and sandals with a matching ribbon in her hair. Having a part-time job had allowed her to finally dabble with fashion to her heart's content.

Prompto blushed at the sudden attention as they stood in the queue for their lunch at a local café that they now occasionally visited together when their lunch breaks coincided. Iris was now at enrolled at college while Prompto had decided to become a freelance photographer. The newfound flexibility to their schedules allowed them to meet up together once a week without the prying eyes of their suspicious friends and a certain scary big brother.

“Well?” Iris teased, with a beautiful smile. “Is it true? Are Prompto Argentum’s photos really going to be showcased at the royal summer exhibition?” 

Prompto let out a nervous laughed, and dipped his face downwards to try and hide his reddening cheeks. “Yeah, it is…”

“That’s fantastic!” Iris beamed and grabbed onto Prompto’s arm as she jumped in excitement. “I always knew you’d make it!” She felt her whole body light up with the news and it filled her with joy. She’d always supported Prompto and knew that he would make it one day. She really couldn’t be happier for him.

Prompto dared to make eye contact with his soul mate who was still oblivious to their connection. Her eyes were beautiful and he had to consciously force himself to look away from the eighteen-year-old. “Thanks,” he smiled. Iris still hadn’t released his arm and her gentle warmth, was the most calming feeling in the world.

“I’m so proud of you,” Iris smiled, as she moved her grip so that they were now linking arms. 

“You have no idea how much that means to me,” Prompto responded. He felt the purity of Iris’ words in his heart. Having her feel proud of him was everything he wanted. He wanted to provide for her and be the best partner he could possibly be. “Say erm… I’m allowed to bring a guest… to accompany me… you know, if your erm… interested…” He asked, filled with nervous energy.

Iris’ heart raced and her eyes lit up at Prompto’s invitation. “Like a date? Prompto I’d love too!” Iris giggled and rested her head on Prompto’s arm. “I never thought you’d ask…” She blushed and looked back up at him.

“I-I…” Prompto hesitated. He hadn’t meant as a date but her response made him lose all train of thought. He swallowed and stared at her with a look of disbelief. “I-I’d like that. I’d really like that!” He finally managed to say then they both shared an embarrassed smile before being interrupted by the girl behind the till.

Prompto ordered them both their usual drinks and cakes then they took a seat in the far corner. Rather than their usual seating position opposite each other, Iris shuffled around and leant her head against Prompto’s shoulder.

“I’ve been waiting for you to ask me out for the longest time…” Iris confession quietly, looking down at how the backs of their hands were touching.

“You have?” Prompto asked, somewhat surprised. He could feel every beat of his heart. “Does that mean…?”

Iris tilted her head and looked at him with a confused expression. “Does that mean, what?”

“Uh… oh, erm… it’s nothing…” Prompto waved his hand to dismiss it.

“It doesn't feel like nothing…” Iris stated and took his hand in hers. “You know, you can tell me anything…”

Prompto looked at Iris. She had said that ‘it didn’t _feel_ like nothing.’ If she could feel his emotions doesn’t that mean that she has her mark too? Otherwise wouldn’t someone say ‘sound’?

“Iris… can you feel what I’m feeling?” Prompto asked, never in his life had he been so hopeful for an answer to a question…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudo and comments really appreciated ^.^


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehe today's my birthday ^.^
> 
> So this is a birthday present to myself lol I love this couple :D
> 
> I hope you enjoy ^.^

_“Iris… can you feel what I’m feeling?”_

Iris tilted her head at the strange tone Prompto had used to ask that question. She’d always been able to understand Prompto easily; it had just been second nature. Maybe that was why it had been so easy to fall for him when she was younger? She _knew_ exactly how kind and gentle Prompto was and that only made her fall even more for him.

Thinking on her crushes question, she bit her lip as she considered the past few months. They had begun meeting much more frequently and it was now easier than ever to understand _exactly_ how Prompto felt.

Iris sipped her drink as she felt her heart pound.

One of the reasons Iris had begun meeting with Prompto so much had been because she had _felt_ how much he wanted to be around her… As she lowered her drink back down to the table, she let her eyes wander back up to meet Prompto’s. He looked like his very life depended on her answer.

Iris swallowed, as she focused on what she could feel. Beyond her own thoughts of confusions and disbelief, there was anxiousness and desperation, both of which she was certain didn’t belong to her and based on the facial expression that Prompto wore, it was clear that they were his.

Were they soulmates?

Seeing Prompto was the light in her life. Being near his excitement and general positive aura, never failed to bring a smile to her face and make her heart race. Not to mention that no one else felt as special as Prompto to her…

But she didn’t have a mark or at least she hadn’t found her mark.

Iris felt dread and embarrassment well up inside her just as Prompto scrambled to his feet, apologising about ruining lunch before he swiftly ran to exit the cafe. 

Iris stared in disbelief at what had just happened. It took a moment to fully process as she was still in the daze of figuring out their connection to each other but she swiftly hurried after him. 

Prompto was already halfway down the street when she started after him, but it was difficult to run in her flimsy sandals, especially when she had to keep her dress held down. “Wait!” She called, after the golden blur but her voice didn’t seem to reach him. 

Prompto was fast but she was full of Amicitia determination. 

It had been fifteen minutes since she lost sight of Prompto and she was certain that there was no point in continuing to search the streets for him any longer. She pulled out her mobile and immediately brought up her messages.

 **[Iris]** Prompto please speak to me.

She waited several minutes for a response as he usually responded instantly but nothing came. Reluctantly she tucked her mobile away at the first sight of rain on her screen.

She couldn’t give up. Not now that she was fairly certain why she had always longed for Prompto. It wasn’t just a crush, they were soulmates and somewhere on her body, the blonde’s name was etched upon her.

 

\-----

 

“I’m such an idiot!” Prompto whined as he paced through Noctis’ apartment, repeating the same words. “Why was I such as idiot?”

Noctis had already stopped responding to his best friend after the first ten minutes of hearing that Prompto thought he was an idiot. Noctis like a sympathetic friend had brought out a bowl of popcorn – mainly for himself – and loaded up a game – only for himself – and continued to nod and hum every so often.

“Dude! Seriously, I totally messed things up. She was right there in front of me and I just… ugh… why am I such an idiot?!” Prompto grabbed a handful of popcorn, forcefully fit it all in his mouth and he slumped onto the sofa, but It wasn’t long before he regretted his choice and began coughing the popcorn out into shockingly empty bin, Ignis must have been here recently.

“Why do I always mess things up?” Prompto whined, feeling sorry for himself as he perched on the sofa again and hung his head.

“Because you’re an idiot,” Noctis responded, on autopilot. 

“I know…” Prompto agreed. After a few moments of silence, he pulled out his phone and stared dumbfounded at the missed calls and messages from Iris.

His heart raced at the sight of her name.

Noctis frowned at his friend’s sudden mood change. “What’s with that dorky smile?”

“Iris. She text me. She text me, dude, can you believe it?!” Prompto beamed, as he excitedly began to read through her messages. “Dude… she’s worried about me!”

Noctis stared in disbelief at how stupid his friend sounded. “Your soulmates. It’s kinda natural that you worry about each other…”

“I-I… well, yeah… I guess it is…” Prompto blushed. “Hey, think Gladio would kill me if I invite her out tonight? You know, to talk?”

Noctis shrugged. “If you’re only gonna talk, he’s got no reason to complain…” Noctis responded as he looked out at the lit up city below, he hoped Ignis managed to make it home before it got dark.

“Right well, I’m gonna head off… wish me luck!”

“Yeah…” Noctis responded, not having taken in what his best friend had just said. His mind was still distracted by his adviser’s location.

Prompto shrugged. It wasn’t the first time and it certainly wasn’t going to be the last time that his best friend wasn’t paying attention. With that, he let himself out and hailed a taxi to take him to a restaurant near the Amicitia mansion.

 

\-----

 

Iris stood outside the restaurant shivering; she had completely mistaken the weather when she’d hastily changed into eveningwear the moment that Prompto had agreed to meet with her. 

She had to see him. She couldn’t wait to see Prompto’s sunshine smile now that she’d found it. Her mark was at the very base of her back. 

As soon as she’d returned home this afternoon, the first thing she had done was search her body for a mark and the moment that her eyes found ‘Prompto Argentum’ etched upon her skin, she felt her heart pound and a smile blossomed on her face. 

Prompto was the one.

They were meant for each other.

It made sense. She had been fourteen when she first started feeling attracted to her brother’s friend. At first, she thought it would pass but it only grew with age. She was seventeen when she realised how perfect Prompto was, the camping trip for her birthday had been one of her fondest memories. 

However, those feelings were almost nothing compared to how she felt now. These past few months had been wonderful seeing Prompto and now she knew why.

“Iris.”

The voice that she had longed to hear spoke from behind her and within seconds Prompto had wrapped his jacket around her shoulders. 

“Prompto…” Iris smiled, and looked at her soulmate, taking in every detail. He was handsome and she wanted to run her hand through his perfectly styled hair.

“Are you alright?” Prompto asked as the nerves started to kick back in. Iris had never stared at him like this before, nor had he ever seen her look so beautiful.

Iris couldn’t help smiling at him as she stepped forward and gently reached up to caress his cheek. “Of course, I’m alright.” With that, she pulled Prompto towards her and their lips met in a light, testing the waters kiss. She hadn’t expected that the contact would suddenly make her feel _alive_.

“Wow… that was…” Prompto blinked, in disbelief. He had no words to explain how he felt. Iris was _everything_ and that kiss proved it. How soon was too soon to kiss her again? He didn’t have to wait long, as a few seconds later Iris pulled him close once more.

Once Iris finally pulled away, she tried to steady her breathing. “How long have you had my mark?”

“A while…” Prompto responded as he wrapped his arms around Iris. “Since just after my 20th birthday…”

Iris looked at him shocked. “You had to wait for me… why did you never date anyone else? Who knows how long it would have been till I received my mark?”

Prompto smiled and placed a light kiss on the tip of Iris’ nose. “I didn’t because I didn’t want to. You were worth the wait…”

Iris bounced a little in excitement. Any touch from her newfound soulmate made her feel wonderful. “Prompto… I have another question…”

“Yeah?” He asked, as he tucked a strand of loose hair behind Iris’ ear.

Iris looked down at their tightly pressed bodies then back at Prompto, as she leaned in close to his ear and whispered, “will you kiss me again?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo there's only the epilogue left... o.O
> 
> It's going to be beautiful ^.^


	6. Chapter 6

Prompto nervously fumbled with his tie as he stared hopelessly in the mirror. Despite today supposedly being the happiest day of his life, he was terrified of messing up in front of the Amicitia’s. The last thing he wanted was to mess everything up in front of his new family, not to mention all of the three hundred plus guests - including the king – that Iris’ father had invited.

Prompto gulped. How had it come to this?

When he and Iris announced their news to Iris’ father Clarus, they had informed him that they wanted a simple affair, with only their nearest and dearest. However, here he stood trembling at the ceremony with no idea who most of the guests were.

“Hey… quit shakin’. It’s my sister you’re marrying,” Gladio grinned, as he stepped around to Prompto and gave him a helping hand with his tie. He’d done all the scary big brother talks over the past few years and today he knew that Prompto needed him to be as supportive as possible.

“Thanks…” Prompto whispered as he gave Gladio a half-hearted smile, unable the mask the true level of nerves that he was feeling.

“Who’d of thought you two were gonna end up brothers?” Noctis grinned, from the opposite end of the room as he let Ignis dress him.

“Says the one who still hasn’t told anyone who his soulmate is,” Gladio teased, as he patted down Prompto’s lapels. Usually, he felt hurt that Noctis had only shared that information with Ignis but then he guessed it was only natural; Noct had always been closer to Ignis than anyone else since childhood. 

With a deep hum, Gladio took a moment to properly look Prompto over before he held his hand out to him.

Prompto’s eyes flickered between Gladio’s face and the hand that was now stretched out towards him. Hesitantly, Prompto placed his hand in Gladio’s and shook his soon-to-be Brother-in-law’s hand.

Gladio smiled and lowered his voice so that the other two in the room couldn’t hear, “It’s good to have you join the family… and well… How do I say this?” He pulled his hand away and ran it through his hair as he looked down at the carpeted floor. “I errr… I’m glad it’s you…”

Prompto’s eyes widened, he hadn’t expected Gladio to say such a sweet thing. “T-thanks… seriously, that means a lot…”

“Yeah…” Gladio swiftly turned away to stare out the window. He hoped no one heard him sniff as he welled up at the thought of his little sister getting married.

Iris had always been the most important person to him. He’d made it his life’s duty to raise her after the death of their mother but he never thought about her getting married and finally leaving the Amicitia mansion. Their father had purchased the new Amicitia-Argentum home as a wedding gift and it was only a few minutes away but it was still painful to see her fly the nest.

Prompto watched Gladio, he knew Gladio was trying to hide the tears but Prompto wasn’t that subtle so his own tears rolled down his face. It was only when Ignis discreetly held out a handkerchief to him that he realised just how much he was crying.

“Dude, why you crying?” Noctis asked as he followed Ignis, not wanting to be separated.

Prompto let out a barely audible laugh as he dried his eyes. “I’m just… really happy…. You know?” He sniffled. “I’m finally… gonna be a part… of a real family…”

 

~ The end ~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am honestly so emotional right now. 
> 
> This is my first ever multi-chapter fic that I've finished and it feels like such an accomplishment even though it's really short in comparison to my other fic's.
> 
> I wrote this fic because I genuinely love the idea of Iris and Prompto growing up and being together. I think they'd make a lovely couple ^.^
> 
> Anyways... I hope you enjoyed The most beautiful of flowers as it has been really refreshing to write! :D


End file.
